Equipment Spotlight | FEB 2014 Demolition Equipment

by MARY M. COX

Atlas Copco Construction Equipment is just one of many manufacturers that offer products for the construction and demolition industries.

Keith Becker is product development specialist at the firm. He explained that for hydraulic attachment purchases, the EU is the world leader but North America is catching up. Becker said, “European countries require that as much as 70 percent or more of demolition materials be recycled. North America has no government recycling requirements. So in the EU you won’t see many wrecking balls. Contractors ‘reverse construct’ buildings piece by piece due to spatial limitations, dust and noise regulations and the economy of on-site recycling.”

He also said that, “90 percent of reinforced concrete demolition in the U.S. involves carrier-mounted breakers, though material is usually hauled off site for secondary processing.” Becker claims that Atlas Copco product lines serve both the demolition specialist and the hybrid contractor who performs both construction and demolition, providing everything from the simplest grapples to universal processors such as the Atlas Copco CC 6000 Combi Cutter.

Becker said, “exposing demolition contractors to unfamiliar equipment and features can be a challenge. For instance, there has not been much market here for bucket crushers. These excavator-mounted crushers for confined job sites process 30 to 40 tons of material per hour without having to haul it out, crush it and bring it back.” Despite that, just a year after introducing its bucket crushers to North America in 2012, Atlas Copco sold 70 units.

Atlas Copco representatives serve as fleet consultants, drawing from experience with customer operations in both hemispheres. “The right equipment isn’t about biggest or most expensive. It’s about your current application and also what you’ll need going forward. That may mean a combination of a Combi Cutter and a bulk pulverizer, with its 24” wide jaws for secondary demolition, or a dual-purpose machine like the demolition pulverizer. The demolition pulverizer is a hybrid tool with a larger biting surface – more like a bulk pulverizer, but with a straight jaw design like the Combi Cutter. Where demolition will consist of tilt-walls, 6” thick or so the demolition pulverizer shines. Our products are not temporary solutions,” said Becker.

He added, “The inevitable dust and noise-reduction regulations ahead are not things we’ll need to adapt our equipment to later. They are in our inventory right now, ready today to bid jobs with the demanding requirements of tomorrow.”

A-Ward designs and delivers total systems for bulk material handling and recycling around the globe. The A-Ward rebar shear turns tangled re-bar into profitable scrap. Mike Ganier, general manager, Excavator Attachments, North America, said the shear’s patented sequenced cutting action allows for three cuts per cycle and maximum productivity.

Ganier noted that value and speed are the star attributes of the product and that it is the preferred tool for many demolition contractors, concrete recyclers and scrap processors for cutting tangled rebar. “It has superior speed at 30-36 cuts per minute, is a fraction of the cost of comparable hydraulic units and the bucket linkage design is inexpensive to purchase, install and maintain. It contains thick, high-tensile jaw material that provides greater durability and extra jaw stiffeners to ensure zero jaw flex for ultra-tight blade tolerance,” Ganier reported.

He said that a 40 ton excavator can process 6 to 8 tons per hour of tangled rebar, reducing it to pieces with an average size of 1’. “Our studies show the break-even point for this product occurs at 150-200 hours of operation, and the maintenance is simple. The shear uses 12 identical blades, each with 4 useable edges. Maximum utilization means fewer consumables. The Power-Positive attachment coupling system creates 25 percent more power and allows fast changeovers to OEM buckets and other A-Ward attachments such as the grapple jaw, concrete shear and pulveriser jaw,” he said.

Ganier also explained how the A-Ward concrete pulveriser “is a very versatile tool for demolishing concrete structures, processing concrete and rebar removal. The mechanical pulveriser jaw makes fast work of concrete debris, operating at 10 to 12 working cycles per minute and is priced at less than half the cost of comparable hydraulic units.”

Additional features include: a Power-Positive attachment coupling system, amplified bucket ram force and raised center tooth design which focuses crushing power at the point of engagement; oversize, fiber, semi and self-lubricating bushings that aid rigidity and reduce maintenance; and replaceable, abrasion-resistant teeth on a one piece slide-in rack.

Breaker Technology Inc. has served the hydraulic breaker business for over 50 years. The firm has expanded its demolition attachment product line over the last 15 years. “With the growing decay in public roads and bridge infrastructure, the trend toward demolition and reclaiming of base metal reinforcement and aggregate materials will only increase. BTI manufactures and supports a wide range of hydraulic shears and mechanical jaw pulverizers for the construction and demolition industry,” said Mike McFarthing, marketing manager. Having listened to real operator feedback regarding the need for faster jaw operation, superior tip force and longer duty cycles, BTI has enhanced the MCP (mechanical, crushing, pulverizing) range of mechanical, hydraulic pulverizers offered. The company offers the small MCP300 product as well as the whopping MCP1300-IT unit. “One of our most popular units is the MCP910-IT (interchangeable tips), weighing in at 6,834 lbs. and it delivers a pulverizing force at the tip of 99 tonne. The MCP910-IT offers increased wear life and speed of repair. It is also one of the fastest cycling hydraulic jaw pulverizers. It is capable of taking massive chunks of reinforced concrete up to 39’4” down to a depth of 37.4”. A combination of reliable operation, robust body construction, a variable speed valve and an interchangeable tip results in a real producer. It can reduce maintenance cost and downtime for any demolition and rebar reclamation job,” McFarthing stated.

LaBounty is a manufacturer of non-impact hydraulic attachments for contractors, scrap metal recyclers and demolition experts. The company’s mobile demolition processor (MDP) is a high-powered, single-cylinder attachment used to crush and process concrete quickly and easily. Each MDP product incorporates a patented quick-change jaw pivot, 360° powered rotation, reversed cylinder, swift-lock teeth and multiple machine mount capability. The first MDP was launched in 2011 but the product line is now compatible with 18 to 70 ton carriers. With an interchangeable cracker and pulverizing jaw, MDP product claims include maximum productivity in primary and secondary concrete demolition and recycling applications.

According to Nathan Buckert, product line manager, “With an unmatched power-to-weight ratio, our customers are able to use smaller attachments and excavators to do the work, providing them with significant savings. The MDP design is based on the time-tested, proven LaBounty shear so it exemplifies the benchmark quality and performance that is expected from LaBounty attachments.”

Buckert said the unique design of the MDP provides power and speed unlike any other tool in the market, making it ideal for the most difficult applications. The MDP has been used and proven to efficiently process the hardest concrete bunkers across Europe, cut through concrete pillars that are filled with thick rebar, or even cut 15” I-beams using the apexed blade system.

“Once the primary demolition is complete, the separation of concrete from rebar using the pulverizer jaw is quick, even with the larger jaw opening on the bigger units because of the cylinder mounted speed valve,” Buckert noted. He explained how the most critical component in a hydraulic attachment is generally the cylinder: “Cylinders must be protected from debris, and be in perfect order to withstand the high pressures of the excavator hydraulic system. Using a single cylinder attachment reduces the complexity of the attachment, reducing maintenance costs and possible damage from the rigors of demolition. With demolition work, no job is the same, so versatility is highly valued; and there are several quick-change technologies accepted around the world which enable a user to change from one tool to another in minutes. LaBounty incorporates a patented, quick change jaw pivot on the MDP which helps enable the end-user to quickly transition from a primary concrete demolition application to a secondary concrete crushing, rebar separation application.”